How to open and close ports in Windows 10 firewall

Ports are like the entry and exit gates of the data packets of our connections. That is, if we open a port, we can establish a connection through it, allowing data entry and exit. In Windows 10 we can open or close ports of the System Firewall from the security center itself or from the old control panel.

Open or close ports in Windows 10 Firewall

With the arrival of Windows 10, Microsoft added the new System Settings page, which was supposed to be the one to replace the control panel. However, after several years, both options continue to coexist in the system.

There are certain settings that we only find on the configuration page, while others are only available in the control panel, but this time, it is possible to open or close ports in the Windows 10 Firewall both from one site and from another. Therefore, if we have installed any application, we need to download certain files or we need to open a port to be able to enjoy a game, these are the steps we have to follow to do so.

From the control panel

To do it from the Control Panel, the first thing we have to do is open the panel itself and then select the Windows Defender Firewall option. In the window that appears, we click on the Advanced configuration option on the left side menu and this will open the Windows 10 Firewall panel.

• Select Entry Rules if we want to open a port or Exit Rules if we want to close it.
• In the right panel, we click on the new rule.
• Next, we will be asked to indicate the type of rule. Select Port and click Next
• Now we choose the type of TCP or UDP traffic and the port number on which we want to apply the rule.
• In the next step, we must define whether we want to block traffic, allow it, or both.
• Click on next and then we must indicate when the rule will apply.
• Finally, we give a name to the rule we just created in Windows 10 Firewall.

If everything went well, we will see in the central panel of the advanced configuration window of the Firewall the rule we have created. If what we have done is allow a connection, open port, it will be shown with the icon in green, while if the rule has been to block a connection or close a port, the red icon will appear with the prohibited symbol.

From the Configuration page

If we are one of those who have already forgotten the Control Panel and prefer to access the settings to open or close Windows 10 Firewall ports from the configuration page, these are the steps to follow:

• We open the System Configuration page, Win + I.
• We select the Update and Security option.
• Click on the Windows Security option on the left side menu.
• In the Protection areas section, we select the Firewall and network protection option.
• This will open the Windows Defender security center where we have to click on the Advanced settings option.
• This will open the Windows Defender Firewall advanced configuration window.
• We select Rules of Entry or Exit within the Windows Defender Firewall. Depending on whether we want to open or close ports
• In the right panel, we click on the new rule.
• Next, we will be asked to indicate the type of rule. Select Port and click Next.
• Now we choose the type of TCP or UDP traffic and the port number on which we want to apply the rule.
• In the next step, we must define whether we want to block traffic, allow it, or both.
• Click on next and then we must indicate when the rule will apply.
• Finally, we give a name to the rule we just created in Windows 10 Firewall.

If the process is successful, we will see the rule that we have just created to open or close a port in the System Firewall in the central panel of the advanced configuration window.

In any case, if we want to close a port that we have opened through an input rule, all we have to do is go to the list of input rules in the central panel, click on it with the right mouse button and choose the  Deactivate rule or Delete option.